Camping cabinet



Dec. 25 1923. 1,478,373

W. R. ALBRIGHTON CAMPING CABINET Filed Feb. 15- 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 25

W. R. ALBRIGHTON CAMPING CABINET I Filed Feb. 15 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 25, 1923.

W. R. ALBRIGHTON CAMPING GABINET Filed Feb. 15

, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet Dec. 25, 1923. 1,478,371

' W. R. ALBRIGHTON CAMPING CABINET 1,922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 15

Patented Dec. 25, 1823 FIFE WALTER ALBRIGHTOII, OF THORNBURG, IOWA.

CAMPING CABINET.

Application filed February 15, 1922.

To all whom z't may concern,

Be it known that I, lVAL'rER R. Alp BRIGHTON, citizen of the United States, residing at Thornburg, in the county of Keo kuk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Camping Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved camping cabinet particularly designed for use by automobile tourists and seeks, as one of its principal objects, to provide a device which will greatly facilitate the operation of cooking and which will also provide storage for cooking utensils and provisions.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a device which will be compact and may thus be readily carried about upon the running board of an automobile.

The invention has as a still further object to provide a device which may be detached from the vehicle and erected at any convenient place for use.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device which will accommodate a camping stove and wherein the stove may be carried within the device when closed.

Other and incidental objects will appear 30 hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved device erected for use, the drawers employed being withdrawn,

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the front door of the device closed but with the front leaf of the device extended,

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the device folded and arranged upon the running board of a conventional automobile, the running board being shown in dotted lines,

Figure t is a rear elevation showing the device erected,

Figure 5 is a rear elevation showing the device folded,

Figure 6 is a sectional view particularly showing the mounting of the closure for the lower drawer employed,

Figure 7 is a detail sectional View through one of the front leg blocks of the device,

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of said blocks, 7

Figure 9 is a detail perspective View showing the upper end of one of the front legs,

Serial No. 536,793.

Figure 10 is a detail perspective view of one of the rear leg blocks of the device, and

Figure 11 is a detail sectional view showing the manner in which the front door of the device is held closed.

In carrying the invention into effect, I employ a preferably oblong box-like casing or cabinet body 10 comprising side, end, top

and bottom walls and equipped at its ends.

with appropriate handles so that the device may be readily lifted or carried about. The bottom wall projects at the ends of the casing to form ledges 11 and hingedly connected to said bottom wall is a front wall or door 12 normally closing the casing at its forward side. At its outer longitudinal edge this door is provided with lateralears l3 and mounted upon said ears are, as shown in detail in Figure 11, appropriate spring pressed catches 14 disposed to cooperate with catch plates 15 upon the end walls of the casing for holding the door closed. Hinged to the door is a leaf 16 preferably of a length equal to that of the door and provided at its outer longitudinal edge with forwardly directed ears 17. As particularly shown in Figure 1, these ears carry reinforcing blocks and pivoted upon said blocks are legs 18 equipped at their free ends, as best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, with overhanging angle shaped plates 19. The door 12 is, as illustrated in Figure 1, adapted to be lowered to a position extending in alinement with the bottom wall of the casing while the leaf 16 may be swung to extend in alinement with the door supported by the legs 18 so that the door and leaf will thus form a table at the front of the casing, and pivoted upon the leaf for movement to a position extending across the joint between the leaf and door are cleats 20 bridging the joint t-herebetween. Normally, these cleats are, as shown in Figure 2, disposed to lie parallel to the end edges of the leaf. When the door is closed, as illustrated in Figure 3, the leaf may be folded downwardly to overlie the door and connected to said leaf at its ends are, as shown in detail in Figure 11, hasps 21 while the end walls of the casing 10 carry hasp plates 22 disposed to cooperate with said hasps so that locksmay be engaged through the loops of said plates for locking the door closed as well as also lookingthe leaf folded against the door.

Arranged within the casing is a vertical partition and slidably connected with said partition is a brace 24%. for limiting the door 12 in its movement to open position and supporting the door to extend horizontally from the casing. At one side of this partition is a storage compartment 25 in which a supply of food may be carried and mounted in said compartment is a shelf 26 extending between the partition and the adjacent end wall of the casing. Normally closing said compartment isa door 27 provided at its innor side with side and end walls 28, the side wall at the free vertical edge of the'door being narrow so as not to interfere with closing of the door. The door carries a bowed spring 29 to frictionally coact with the partition 23 for holding the door closed and mountedin the angle between the door and the outer side wall thereof is a shelf 30. This shelf is designed to receive a supply of nested drinking cups and secured to the door above the shelf is abowed spring 31 for retaining the cups upon the shelf. in connection with the present device, I provide a. rolling pin 32 of-a length to fit beneath the shelf and secured-to the door is a spring 33 for retaining 'the pin in position. Mounted upon the lower end wall of the door are spring sup ported holders 34, one designed to accommodate a vacuum and the other to accommod ate a vacuum bottle resiliently clamped between said holders and the upper end wall of the door. Arranged to extend between the partition 23 at its opposite side and the other end wall of the casing is a shelf 35 and extending between said shelf and the bottom wall of the casing is a partition A storage compartment 37 for cooking utensils is thus defined. Mountel between the partitions 23 and 36 is aclosure member swingingly supported upon the partitions, as illustrated in Figure 6, by hinge plates 39 extending between the side edges of the member and the adjacent faces of said partitions, and slidable between the partitions beneath said member is a drawer 4:0, the outer end wall of which extends above the top edges of the side walls of the drawer to form a shoulder ll. Thus, when the door is moved inwardly to closed position between the partitions the shoulder 41 will engage the outer end'edge of the closure member 33 for swinging this member downwardly into tight engagement with the drawer closing the drawer at the top thereof. On the other hand, when the drawer is withdrawn, the frictional engagement between the drawer and said closure member will serve to swing the closure member upwardly to release the drawer. As illustrated in Figure 1, the drawer is provided with spaced partitions 4E2 dividing the drawer into three compartments. The first compartment at the outer end of the drawer is designed to contain sugar, the next compartment to contain coffee, and the rear compartment to contain tea. 36, above the closure member 38, is a drawer 43 supported by side cleats engaging in suitable grooves in the inner faces of the partitions and, preferably,"the drawer 43 is, as shown in Figure 1, provided with partitions 4A dividing the drawer into compartments designed to contain eggs. The end portion of the top wall of the casing which overlies the compartment '25 is covered by a piece of sheet metal to provide a work board 4L5 and, as will now be observed upon reference to Figures 1 and 6, the opposite end portion of said top wall as well as the upper end portion of the adjacent end wall of the casing is cut away to provide a stove compartment 46 closed at the bottom thereof by the shelf 35. This compartment is preferably lined with asbestos and mounted therein is an appropriate camping stove conventionally illustrated at 47, the stove being preferably providcd with a cover 4:8 and having a tank 4:9 projectingslightly at the adjacent end of the casing.

Hinged to the back wall of the casing at the stove compartment 46 is a top closure 50 which, as shown in Figure 3, is arranged to close over said compartment and, as shown in Figure 2, provides a tray in which is arranged a plurality of spaced stops 51. The'stops are so disposed that a number of saucers may be arranged between the stops and-the corners of the tray while plates may be piled one upon another within the area defined by the stops, and hinged upon one end wall of the tray is a bar 52 provided at its free end with a cleat 53 adapted to fit in a notch 5a in the opposite end wall of the tray. This bar, when closed, will limit the plates and saucers against displacement and mounted upon'the latter end wall of the tray adjacent said notch is a hook 55 engaging with a pin upon the cleat 53 for locking the bar closed. Thus, a convenient and safe place for carrying dishes is provided and pivoted upon the back wall of the casing is. as'best shown in Figures l and 6, a block 50 which may be swung upwardly to coact with the tray for supporting said tray in open position. Hinged upon the end wall of the casing, opposite the stove coinpartmerit 46, is a tray .57 foldable, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, to overlie the work board i5,and pivoted upon the back wall of said tray is a block 58. This block is notched to accommodate a'bar 59 pivotally connected to the block and mounted upon the back wall of the tray 50 is a keeper 60. As will be observed, when the closure 50 is arranged to overlie the compartment 46 and the tray 57 is folded to overlie the work board 45, the block 58 may be swung upon the tray 57 to engage the bar 59 beneath the keeper 60 for locking both the tray and the closure Slidable between thepartitions 23 and against swinging movement. On the other hand, y releasing the bar 59, the tray 57 n'iay, as best shown in Figure 4:, be swung to horizontal position projecting at the adj acent end of the casing, when the block 58 may be rotated a half turn upon its pivot and the bar 59 swung downwardly to engage the ledge 11 at the adjacent end of the casing for supporting the tray in horizontal position. Hinged upon the side walls of the tray are companion doors 61 and extending longitudinally of the tray is a partition 62 dividing the tray into compartments one of which may be lined to receive knives and forks while towels may be arranged in the other of said compartments, each of the doors 61 being adapted to close one of the compartments respectively. Hinged to the outer end wall of the tray is a metal closure or lid which, when the doors 61 are closed, is, as best illustrated in Figure 2, adapted to overlie said doors so that when the tray 1S swung outwardly to horizontal position, the cover 63 will form a continuation of the work board 45.

Mounted upon the end walls of the casing near the forward side thereof are blocks 64: cut away at their inner sides, as shown in detail in Figure 8, to provide inclined guideways 65 and recessed at their lower ends to form sockets 66. At their upper ends, the blocks are provided with notches 67 at their forward edges and secured to the forward edges of said blocks are metal strips 68 bent at their upper ends to provide hooks 69 overhanging said notches. In conjunction with the blocks 64., I provide a pair of supporting legs 70 which, as shown in detail in Figures 7 and 9, are reduced at their upper ends to removably fit in the sockets 66 of said blocks and carry bowed springs 71 to frictionally coact with the end walls of the casing for tightly binding the legs in said sockets. Secured to the back wall of the casing near the ends thereof are blocks 72 which, as shown in detail in Figure 10, are recessed at their inner sides to provide sockets 73 while at their upper ends the blocks are cut away to define upstanding keepers 7% extending in spaced parallel relation to the back wall of the casing. Mounted uponsaid back wall to project into the sockets 73 are, as best shown in Figure 4, bowed springs 75. Pivoted upon the back wall of the casing to coact with the blocks 72 are supporting legs 76 which may be swung downwardly in diverging relation to engage at their upper ends, as shown in Figure 4, in the sockets 7 3 of the blocks to b limited thereby, the springs 7 5 frictionaily coacting with the upper ends of the legs for holding the le s spread apart at their lower ends. As shown in Figure 5, the legs may be folded upwardly to horizontal positon extending along the backwall of the casing and mounted upon one of said legs is a hook 77 engageable with a pin upon the other of the legs for securing the legs folded. The keepers 74 are, as shown in Figure 5, designed to accommodate the legs 70. As illustrated, these legs may be detached from the blocks 6% and arranged in horizontal position against the back wall of the casing engaging at their ends behind said keepers. In this position of the legs 7 0 the springs 71 thereof will coact with the back wall of the casing to prevent rattling or endwise movement of the legs and, as will now be observed, the block 56 upon the back wall of the casing may be swung downwardly for locking said legs against upward displacement. Thus, all of the legs may be conveniently carried upon the casing in a position out of the way.

I As will now be appreciated in view of the foregoing, the device may be readily. set up for use, as shown in Figure 1, when a table will be provided at the front of the device while access may be conveniently had to the compartments 2:) and 37. By throwing the top closure 50 and raising the lid 48 from the stove 47, the stove may then be readily used, while by throwing back the cover 63 of the tray 57 and opening the doors 61 of said tray, the cutlery and towels therein will be conveniently at hand. Should the table at the front of the device prove in the way, when cooking, the door 12 may, as shown in Figure 2, be folded to closed position, when the plates 19 at the free ends of the legs 18 may be engaged in the notches 67 of the blocks 64 for supporting the leaf 16 in horizontal position at the front of the casing, the hooks 69 of the plates 68 upon said blocks coaeting with the plates 19 for securing the legs against accidental u ward displacement. The leaf 16 when arranged as shown in Figure 2, will, of course, provide a convenient rest at the front of the device and normally, the cover 63 will be arrangedto overlie the tray 57, as shown in this figure of the drawings, so as to provide added area to the work board 45. As will also be appreciated in view of the foregoing, the device may be readily folded for transportation and, in this connection, the purpose of the inclined guideways 65 upon the blocks 64 becomes apparent. As shown in Figure 8, these guideways are formed to accommodate the legs 18 when the leaf 16 is folded downwardly against the door 12 so that in this position of the legs, the blocks 64 will provide keepers retaining the legs against the end walls of the casing. It is further to be noted, in this connection that, when the device is folded, it is unnecessary to remove the stove 47, it being only required to fold the cover 48 of the stove downwardly thereover when the top closure 50 may be folded over the stove. The stove may, accordingly, be

CII

permanently mounted upon the device so that the necessity for handling the-stove as a separate element will be eliminated. As suggested-in Figur'eBpthe device'may, when folded, lie-readily carriediipon the running board of a motor vehicle and will accordingly provide an eminently convenient de vice for motor tourists.

Having thus described the what is claimed as new is:

1. A camping cabinet including a casing, a door thereon, a leaf carried by the door, the leaf being movable to extend horizontally from the door when the door is closed, and legs associated with the leaf for supporting the leaf in horizontal position when the door is closed.

2. A camping cabinet includii'ig a casing, a door thereon, and a leaf carried by the door and movable to extend horizontally from the door when the door is closed and legs associated with the leaf to operatively invention,

coact with the casingfor supporting the leaf in horizontal position when the door is closed.

2-3. A camping cabinet including a casing, a door'thereon, and a leaf carried'by the door and movable to extend horizontally from the door when the door is closed, and legs associated with the leaf to operatively coact with the casing for supporting the leaf in horizontal position when the door is closed and adapted to engage the ground for supporting the leaf in alinement with the door when the door is'open.

at. A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby, a door normally closing the casing and provided with a leaf swingingly connected thereto, and legs carried by the leaf to coact with said blocks supporting the leaf to extend horizontally I from the door when the door is closed.

5. A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby,a door upon the easing having a leaf swingingly connected thereto and normally foldedagainst the door when the door is closed and legs carried by the leaf retained bysaid blocks in the folded position of the leaf but engageable with the blocks for supporting the leaf to extend horizontally from the door when the door is closed.

6., A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby and'cut away to pro vide inclined gui'deways, a door upon the casing having a leaf swingingly connected thereto and normally folded against the door when the door is closed, and legs received in said guideways retained by the blocks in the folded position of the leaf and engage-able with the blocks for supporting the leaf to extend horizontally from the door inthe'closed position of the door.

7 A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby, a door for the casing connected thereto and normally overlying the door in folded position when the door is closed, means upon the door for securing the door closed, and coacting means carried by the leaf and casing whereby the leaf may be locked in folded position and thereby lock the door closed.

9. A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby, supporting legs engaged with said blocks, a door upon thecasing having a leaf swingingly connected thereto, and legs carried by the leaf to engage said blocks fol-supporting the leaf to extend horizontally from the door when the door is closed.

10. A camping cabinet including a casing having the top wall thereof providing a work board, and a tray normally overlying the work board and provided with a lid, the tray being movable to; a position alining with the work board forming a continuation of said board.

11. A camping cabinet including a casing having the top wall thereof providing a work board, a cover for the board, a tray normally overlyingthe work board but m0v able to a position alining therewith, means normally closing the tray, and a cover normally overlying said means providing a continuation of the work board.

12. A camping 'cabinet'including a casing, a swingingly mounted closure therefor, a tray swingingly connected to the casing foldable thereover adjacent the closure, and means to coact with the tray and closure for locking both the tray and closure against swinging movement.

13. A camping cabinet including a casing, a swingingly mounted closure therefor, a tray normally overlying the casing adjacent said closure butmovable to extended position pro 'jecting laterally from the casing, and means for locking both the tray and closure against swinging movement and adapted to coact with the casing for supporting the tray when extended.

1.4:. A camping cabinet including a casing, a'swingin'gly mounted top closure therefor, a tray swingingly connected to the casing and normally overlying the casing adjacent said closure but movable to extended position projecting laterally from the casing, a keeper upon the closure and a pivoted bar swingingly connected to the tray and engage'able with said keeper for locking both the tray and closure against swinging movement, the bar being adapted to be swung upon the tray to a position disposed to coact with the casing for supporting the tray when extended.

15. A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby, legs pivotally mounted upon the casing and movable to active position limited by said blocks, the blocks being formed with keepers, and other legs detaohably connected to the casing and adapted to be folded in inactive position re tained by said keepers.

16. A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby, legs pivotally mounted upon the casing and movable to active position limited by said blocks, the legs being foldable to overlap each other, and other legs detachably connected to the casing and adapted to be carried thereon by said blocks.

17. A camping cabinet including a casing, blocks carried thereby, legs pivotally mounted upon the casing and movable to active position limited by said blocks, other blocks mounted upon the casing and provided with sockets, and legs detacha-bly engageable at corresponding ends thereof in said sockets to coact with said first mentioned legs for supporting the casing.

18. camping cabinet including a casing, a swingingly mounted top closure therefor,

a block pivoted upon the casing and movable to one position for limiting and supporting the closure when swung open, keepers upon the casing, and legs detachably connected to the casing and adapted to be disposed in inactive position engaging said keepers, the block being movable to another position for limiting said legs against displacement out of engagement with the keepers.

19. A camping cabinet including a casing, a drawer slidable therein, a closure member, and pivoted means connected to the end por tions of the closure member supporting said member for bodily swinging movement toward or away from the top of the drawer,

the member being shiftable by the drawer when moved to closed position for closing the drawer at the top thereof.

20. A camping cabinet including a casing, a drawer slidable therein, a closure member for the drawer, and pivoted plates connected to the end portions of the member supporting said member for bodily swinging movement toward or away from the top of the drawer, the member being shiftable by the drawer when moved to closed position for closing the drawer at the top thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WALTER R. ALBRIGHTON. [L. s] 

